vexillum

American  

[vek-sil-uhm] / vɛkˈsɪl əm /

noun

plural

vexilla

1. a military standard or flag carried by ancient Roman troops.

2. a group of men serving under such a standard.

3. video frequency.

4. Botany. Also vexil the large upper petal of a papilionaceous flower.

5. Ornithology Rare. the web or vane of a feather.

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vexillum British  

/ vɛkˈsɪləm /

noun

1. ornithol the vane of a feather

2. botany another name for standard

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Other Word Forms

• vexillary adjective
• vexillate adjective

Etymology

Origin of vexillum

1720–30; < Latin: standard, flag, diminutive from the base of vēlum sail ( veil )

Example Sentences

With an estimated temperature increase of about 3.6°F in the next few years, the number of invasive species, particularly the Didemnum vexillum and Botrylloides violaceus, could double, according to UNH research released back in February.

From Fox News

At 18, deciding that the study of flags deserved its own name, he coined the term vexillology, combining the Latin word for flag, “vexillum,” with the Greek suffix meaning “the study of.”

From New York Times

The vexillum of the Romans was a standard composed of a square piece of cloth fastened to a cross bar at the top of a spear, sometimes with a fringe all round as shown in Fig.

From Project Gutenberg

The original form was some fixed object such as we have seen on the Egyptian and Roman examples, and the vexillum and labarum were transitional forms.

From Project Gutenberg

The labarum, like the vexillum, had sometimes fringes with tassels or ribbons.

From Project Gutenberg